corps8294 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Is the church going requirement explained to the members before they sign a contract? This has long puzzled me about Pioneer. What if a member is not the church going type, are they denied membership? What if a member is a religion other than Roman Catholic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latrobe's Finest Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Is the church going requirement explained to the members before they sign a contract? This has long puzzled me about Pioneer. What if a member is not the church going type, are they denied membership?What if a member is a religion other than Roman Catholic? The corps typically goes to church on Sundays. During camps in Cudahy, we would go to the Lutheran church next door. In 2006, we went to several different denominations while on tour. It's not an attempt to "Christianize" the corps, rather it's a chance to have the members reflect and get away from the rigors of tour for an hour each week. Of course, we didn't always go to church on Sundays, many times we would not while on tour. Great church story: One time in IN, the assistant band director of the band at our housing site was a Pio alum and he went to the local Church of Christ which just so happened to be led by the band boosters' president, so we were special guests of the church for a service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperious Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) SOPY forms are a pretty nifty way for paying for dues... You don't necessarily have to be Roman Catholic or any other religion to march. I don't think of going to church every once in a while as a requirement, but as a way for the corps to be more like a family, and a time for all members to take a break from the busy-ness and hard work they put in during the summer. It's just another part of what makes Pioneer have that unique family-like aura and be one of the closest, friendliest corps out there today. I don't normally go to church, but the more togetherness and friendship we share, the better (every day). Frigid Church Story: Walking next door about a hundred yards to church in January in Milwaukee didn't sound bad at first. But being from Florida and having to do so while it was snowing rendered me unable to feel my face or extremities for about 5 minutes afterwards. Edited March 17, 2008 by Viperious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 Roman has made the exception to the rule from time to time of course. He does "TRY" to get the corps away to a church during all days and on the road, but many times it Just isnt possible. The corps members arent forced into any religion of course, but there isnt any good reason to miss church if the whole corps is going. There is no attempt at all to force Christianity into anyone, but as has been said, it is a way that the kids get to relax a bit and build togetherness. I personally dont see anything wrong with it. There are usually students from South Africa, Japan, and Europe in the corps, so it is non denominational. Whatever church is nearby the rehearsal or housing site that particular Sunday will perhaps be the one we visit. Some times the staff even goes... Donny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumguy50 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Roman has made the exception to the rule from time to time of course. He does "TRY" to get the corps away to a church during all days and on the road, but many times it Just isnt possible. The corps members arent forced into any religion of course, but there isnt any good reason to miss church if the whole corps is going.There is no attempt at all to force Christianity into anyone, but as has been said, it is a way that the kids get to relax a bit and build togetherness. I personally dont see anything wrong with it. There are usually students from South Africa, Japan, and Europe in the corps, so it is non denominational. Whatever church is nearby the rehearsal or housing site that particular Sunday will perhaps be the one we visit. Some times the staff even goes... Donny I am not sure any one answered the question. If the corps is going to church on a specific day do all the members have to attend? Also I am wondering why the guard is still restricted to females only Seems like in these days with most winter guards being mixed it would make a much bigger pool to draw from if you wanted to grow that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 My answer was that "it seems like there is no good reason to miss church if the whole corps is going". Females only in the guard is the director's perogative. I cant begin to tell you why, other than that is what it is. It is Roman's choice. Donny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumguy50 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 My answer was that "it seems like there is no good reason to miss church if the whole corps is going".Females only in the guard is the director's perogative. I cant begin to tell you why, other than that is what it is. It is Roman's choice. Donny So with the non answer I draw the conclusion that yes they are required to go and no it is not announced up front. From having been involved with other groups with DCM it must be Romans beliefs that keep biys out of guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghatron Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 So with the non answer I draw the conclusion that yes they are required to go and no it is not announced up front. Pioneer's website discusses their church-attendance policy. See: http://www.pioneer-corps.org/index.php?opt...8&Itemid=42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) Besides all of the side bars that can easily be discussed here, it is still an excellent alternative for students that want the experience of a World Class tour. It is a strong organization that has been around since 1961, before there was a DCI or Midwest Combine. There are still spots available for interested students. Donny Edited March 17, 2008 by donnymusic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PioneerWebmaster Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Just to touch on the church issue a bit since it seems to creep up here from time to time. The page that was cited above essentially describes the corps philosophy on going to church, so anyone who takes a few minutes to browse the corps website will see that we go to church. Is it broadcast on the front page of our website or a part of the membership contract? No, but in all of my years with the corps I can't ever recall going to church being a major issue with a member or potential member of the corps. We usually would attend whatever church was close enough to the housing site and was large enough to hold the entire corps. Sometimes it was a Catholic church, other times a Lutheran, Baptist, or non-denominational. Heck, for years we went to a church that we called the "funky" church because they played rock/contemporary music. We became such regulars at that church that we even played there on a couple Sunday mornings. If we end up at a church that doesn't exactly match up with a members faith, they don't have to actively participate in the service. Nobody's forcing anyone to convert to Christianity or from one denomination to another. Not to mention, often times going to church in the morning allows the cook staff a little extra time to fix a nice meal for after church! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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